Steaming device and condenser



Dm. ze, 1922. A. J. WISSING.

STEAMxNG Dvlcf; AND CoNDENsriFe.

FILED MAR. l, 1920.

Patented Der; j

STEMl-NG DEVICE AND 'CONDENSER.

Application filed March 1, 1920. Seriallo. 362,572.

To all LU wm t may concern:

Be it lrnown that l, ALrrroNs lVrssrNe, a citizen of the United. States, residing' at Peoria, in the county of Peoria. and State ot illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in titeaming Devices and Condensers.; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descrip` tion of the invention, others skilled in the art to which it appertains to malre and use the same.

Thisinvention pertains to improvements in that class or devices known as battery steamers, also to a novel type of inlet for water for the same.

Battery Steamers are of that type olf steam producers from which steam is led into the jars oi storage batteries for softening the composition of which their walls are made whereby the walls are caused to be made flexible or pliable by which the grids, which usually nt snugly, can be readily withdrawn and replaced. These steamers are usually so constructed that the working parts or joints of the float valve which provides for 'feed water and which joints lie within the vessel, and therefore quite hot, receive upon them the water as it enters, causing quick corrosion of such joints which ultimately prevents the valve from functioning properly.

lt is usual to provide a condenser-tor the steamer by which distilled water may be produced 'for use in making the electrolite 'for the battery, or 'for other purposes. The condenser, however', is usually a part separate from the steamer or still and connected with the saine by a lleXible tube or some 'torni ot piping, the steamer and condenser requiring separate water connections and by being thus constructed they are hardly in proper portable shape.

lt is my purpose herein to combine a still and condenser as a unit readily transportable andl readily boxed for shipment, ready to set up 'for operation, merely making a single water connection therewith, none or the parts being likely to be damaged because ot the rigid relation of the same.

One or' the objects of the invention is the provision of a valve of the float controlled type Jfor feeding water to a to create steam under more or less pressure, wherein the water is supplied as 'tast as required to maintain a given level.

Another ot the objects is the provision olf which will enablev ries of spacing` vessel in which 'said vwater will be introduced into the vessel with- `out passlng over any of the working parts ot the valve to cause corr sion ot those parts aand eventually interference with tree operation of the valve.

Another object is to provide a valve structure tor adevice -otl the kind described in which the ioat valve includes a duct for in troducing water into the vessel from a position voutside the latter whereby the water willnot be brought into contact with any of the working parts.-

Another object is that of mounting a portable condenser and steamer or still in rigid relation, the two having connection whereby steam produced in the latter willbe condensed in the former through the use of a single water connection to both,-the water flowing continuously through the condenser` while being 'l'ed in a more or less intermittent manner automatically to the still through such single connection.

The appended drawing illustrates a pre- `erred manner of constructing my combined still and a condenser and the valve used therewith, although changes may be made as may suggest themselves to the practical mind without sacrificingthe spirit and intent oi, the invention.

Figure l is a vertical section oli an appa-- ratus involving vmy invention, and 2 is a' longitudinal section ot a valve shown in lFig. l very much enlarged.`

lPhe body ot the steamer or still is represented by the numeral l.' lt has a flange 2 being spaced from' one another substantially as shown, providing an insulating air space between them whereby heat will not be conducted to said condenser, 7' denoting a sebolts disposed aroundl and extending through the flanges 2 and i'fo'r the purpose of such spacing. l/Vithin the condenser body is a. worm 8, one vend otl which leads into the steam space ot the still l, its other end projected through the wall oi? body Vfor delivery of distilled water lever arm 25 and the short end ofthe float from said worm, the body 4 being adapted to receive cooling water through a valved inlet pipe 9, the overflow of water being Athrough an outlet 10.

ln the wall of the still 1 is a cock A11, of which there may be several, each having a flexible tube 12 for conducting steam into the battery box or other place to receive steam. j

13 denotes, as a whole, avalve secured to the side of the still above the water line.`

lt comprises a threaded stem 14 having a flanged portion 14 adapted to be clamped u pon the inner surface of the wall of said still, there being a gasket 15 interposed between it and said wall to make a tight joint. Depending from the flanged portiony is an arm 16 to which is pivoted between its endsva rod 17 carrying at its long end a float 18. The said stemv 14 is provided with a bore 19 receiving a piston or plunger 20, having at one end outside the still a recess 21 for the reception of a valve-seat 22 of leather yor other suitable material. The

' opposite or inner end of the piston or plung-- er is slotted at 23, as is also `the inner-ex-v tremity of the stem 14 at 24 to receive the lever arm 25 pivoted at one end to the arm 26, for example, being part of the stem structure. Between the other end of'said carrying rod 17 is connected a link 27. j

The stem 14 is securely held in place on the wall of the still by means of a locknut 28,'the projecting portion receiving the main body 29 of the valve structure, held thereon through suitable fluid-tightconnec-i tions not necessary to be described in detail.

Said body 29 has a recess 30 therein in the formof a bore into which the piston or plunger 20 extends, :and within which it may move. j

In one side -of the body isa passage 3l connecting with the said' recess or bore y30,`

while a pipe 32 is connected with said passage 31 terminating within the still above the water line.

33 is a member having threaded engagement with-'the body 29 andv having a longitudinal bore 33 extending therethrough, one end of said member extending into the recess or bore 3,0, its extremity therein adapted to receive upon it theseat 22 of the plunger 20. 34 is a locknut by' means of which, after adjustment, the member may be fixed in position.

35l is a passage or duct leading from the outer end of the body 29 to a recess 36 in the side of the latter into which is screwed Vthe ,pipe 9 mentioned earlier herein, and 37 is a feed pipe for water connected to the body 29 for introducing. water into the bore 31 and thesaid passage 35. j

The still is placed upon a suitable heater and steam is conducted to the place for use through the tube 12. 4ln addition, the steam A 'finds its lway into the worm 8 where it iscondensed due to the flow of cooling water entering the body 4 through the pipe 9. As the water in the still decreases in volume the float 1S 'in `descending with ,the lowerino' water level moves the lever arm 25 in a direction to remove the seat 22 from the member 33 to expose its bore 33. The feed water under pressure in the said bore is thus liberated into the bore 30, finding itsway through the passage 31 and pipe 32 to the still until the water level is restored. The

feed is necessarily slow from the fact that the conversion of the water into steam is slow and in con-sequence the descent of the floatk is slow. rllhe amount of water fed is not suflicient, therefore, at any time, to lower the water ,temperature in the steamer to a point where steaming will be greatly interfered with. l

llt has been customary to permit the flow of water past or along the plunger 20 entering' the still through the bore of the vstem 14, running down the lever arm 25. method has been found to ybe very undesirable, in fact ueterimental, in that the cold water when flowing over the highly heated vmetal parts forms ay deposit and corrodes' the parts to such an extent that the joints become stiifened and unyielding so that the float afterr a time ceases to properly respond to the gradual rise and fall of the water land because of this the water may drop to quite a low level before the float acts. That is to say, the float having been left suspended v`will finally fall, perhaps when its weight overcomes the friction of the joints whereupon the water will rush in andA rlihe adjustment of themember'33 servesto position the float 18 at any point desired at which the level is to be maintained. Ob-

yviously, the further in the'member is turned the lower the water level will-be-,since the float will be pushed downward, whilean op-l posite direction of adjustment of the member will have the reverse elect. The still or condenser, since fixed relatively to one vanother, can be connected by the single water This partially feed arrangement and supplied from the single water connection. This is an important advantage in a portable still and condenser f y and an outfit for the purposes set forth, since the said outit is a single unit ready for use at once by making the single connection for water thereto, and because of the rigid relation of the still and condenser the connection from one to the other cannot be broken or disarranged, causing leaks, as results when these parts are independent of one another.

Again, the water being practically midisturbed in the valve-body 29 which forms a dead end for the pipe 37, its temperature is maintained somewhat higher than the normal temperature in the mains from which it comes due to the conducti vity of heat through the metal forming the wall oie the still so that it will be in a more fit state to enter the latter without unduly affecting the steaming process. But at the same time the temperature will not be so high as to destroy its use for cooling the condensing worm 8. And although the cooling water for the condenser body is connectedinto the body 29 whereby it can be supplied from the pipe 37, a single connection, the steam cannot escape irom the body l since the passages 30 and 31 are entirely separate therefrom.

I claim:

l. In combination, a still and a condenserbody, a valve-body connected with a source of water supply separate from the still and condenser, a conduit connecting` the valve-l body with the still outside the latter, mechanism Within the valve-body and a float within the still connected therewith for controlling the movement of the water through said conduit, a conduit connected at one end into the condenser body and at its other end connected with the source of water supply, and a valve in the last named conduit.

2. In a device of the nature described, in combination with a water supply pipe, a still and a condenser, a Valve-body for attachment to said pipe, there being two passages through said body separately connecting the pipe with the still andA condenser, mechanism within said body for controllinglthe passage leading to the still, and a iioat in the still in control of said mechanism, the

other passage being in open connection with the pipe, and a Valve in said passage that leads to the condenser. f

3. ln combination, a still, and a condenser body including a condensing member connected with the interior of the still, a water supply pipe, a valve-body with` which the pipe is connected, a pipe connecting said valve-body with the still, a second pipe wholly separate from the last named pipe connecting the valve-body withi the condenser body, land mechanism including a float in the still for governing the iiow of water through the said second pipe.

ln combination, a still, and a condenserbody including therein a condensing meinber, a Valve-body outside both the said still and coinilenser-body including therein two sepa-rate and independent passages, a watersupply pipe connected with said valve-body for supplying water to both passages, a pipe connecting one of the passages with the condenser-body, a pipe connecting the second passage with the still, a valve in said valvebody, and a i'loat in the still for governing the flow of water through the second named passage by controlling said Valve.

ln combination, a still, and a condenserbody including therein a condensing meinber, a valve-body outside .both the said still and` condenser body including therein two separate and independent passages, a watersupply pipe connected with said Valve-body for supplying Water to both passages, a pipe connecting one ol` the passages with the condenser-body, a valve in said pipe, a pipe connecting the second passage with the still, a valve in said valve-body, and a float operatively connected therewith disposed within the still for governing the flow of water through the second named passage.

In testimony whereof l alix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

AliPl-lONS J. WISSING.

Witnesses J. B. WOLFENEARGER, L. M. 'lli-rumour. 

